Take a heaped spoonful of Heart and a chunk of Fleetwood Mac; stir well. Add a generous dollop of Led Zep, and a sprinkling of Jefferson Airplane, chuck it in the oven at 11 and bake until you get a golden-topped delight of recharged classic rock. There's no denying that Portsmouth rockers, Brave Rival's mission is to put a spin on a well-loved genre, and the band do it with as much style as they do sass.
Anyone who has seen them perform live since their inception in 2019 will surely become a Bravian. Not only are the vocal harmonies of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick balanced with the right amount of ethereal siren and full rock belt, but the songs pack a serious hard rock punch too.
'Bad Choices' gets things going with a barn-stomping southern rock groove and those spine-tingling harmonies I mentioned. 'Stand Up' features Will Wilde – the best harmonica player on the planet according to the legendary Walter Trout! The song is about overcoming adversity and it's so energetic it's impossible not to come out of the track feeling optimistic.
'Insane' is a tour de force for the band that encapsulates their influences and distinctive sound. It's another blistering track that allows guitarist and Guns N' Roses fan, Ed ‘The Shred’ Clarke to unleash his inner Slash.
Bravians will already be familiar with 'Fairytale' from the band's live shows. On the record, it's every bit as thrashy, with a ferocious chorus to match. It wouldn't be out of place on an Evanescence or Halestorm album – or stick an orchestra and take the vocals up a few octaves, and you've got a track from Nightwish.
It's not just the hard and heavy songs that Brave Rival are skilled at delivering. Slower tracks like the prog-influenced 'Sink or Swim' or 'Stars Upon My Scars' really expose the vocals and give us more of those lush harmonies.
'Five Years On' is an ode to the band's journey so far and looking to the future. With a sophomore album this solid the band are sure to be on the rise within the next five years. Here's to all being Bravians and long live classic rock!
Yorumlar